The timer on Ashley Cormier's phone chimes, and she slips on an oven mitt and opens the door to her convection oven. She reaches in to rotate what she is baking before re-starting the timer.

It's not cookie dough or a loaf of bread that she waits for, but a 20-ounce metal cup that in just a few more minutes will sport a new design.

The tumbler, once solid white, now features a combination of black-and-white gingham, green and gold polka dots and four-leaf clovers, rainbows and the word LUCK.

Cormier purchased the St. Patrick's Day design through a vendor on Etsy, and thanks to computer software and a sublimation printer, she now holds it in her hand in her bedroom in Lafayette, where she bakes it into the cup.

She's readying her online store, My 2 Little Loves LLC, with new inventory as the next holiday approaches. Mardi Gras made for a busy February. She filled more than 20 orders in just one week, her most popular item being the glittered purple-green-and-gold-striped tumbler.

Sublimation tumblers are her favorite to make. The process takes about an hour start to finish.

"It's like a puzzle," she said. "I sit there and zone out and focus on that."

Cormier, 27, also makes different types of custom T-shirts using her sublimation printer, screen-printed designs and a Cricut vinyl machine. Her favorite look is sublimation on bleached shirts, but she caters to customers' requests and explores new trends as she finds them.

"Almost every day I learn something different," Cormier said. "Sometimes I see something and think 'I didn't know you could do that.'"

When she's not creating, Cormier is taking care of her two youngest children — 1 and almost 4 years old — and helping her mom care for her autistic brother three days a week.

Making shirts and tumblers began as a hobby, primarily making things for her children or other family members. In April 2021 she contacted her accountant about making it official. She created her LLC and hasn't stopped.

Now she and her fiancé have plans to expand her work into a free-standing shop perhaps with larger equipment, which would allow her to create larger designs or more at one time.

She sells and advertises primarily through Facebook as well as Etsy. She has a lot of local customers and has shipped to five other states.

If possible, she hand-delivers the products, allowing her to build a network while adding a personal touch.

"This morning I met up with a lady named Jill," she said. "We talked for 20-30 minutes. I've made friends with a lot of people's dogs."

She fits the work in when she can, bringing work with her or staying up after the kids are in bed.

"It's a me-time thing," Cormier said. "I'm working pretty much every day. If I'm not making orders I'm coming up with something new. Right now I'm looking ahead to St. Patrick's Day and Easter."

Contact children's issues reporter Leigh Guidry at Lguidry@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @LeighGGuidry.